Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Sold by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 67,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,173 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $6,964,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Aflac by 41.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Aflac during the third quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the third quarter valued at about $51,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $103.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $104.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.72. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $77.01 and a 52-week high of $115.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 22.02%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Aflac’s payout ratio is 30.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial raised their price target on Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $107.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Profile

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. The company operates through Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.